Mary Geoise.
The Room of Authority.
The Five Elders stared at the report that had just been delivered, their brows furrowed in unison.
Twenty-eight ironclad warships...
They were, of course, aware of the existence of ironclads. After all, Sean had used one during his trip to the Sabaody Archipelago, not to mention that Gion and Akainu each possessed one now.
Because Sean had been transparent about it—even arranging ships for Gion and Akainu—and because Sengoku had ordered three from the Galley-La Company, the Five Elders hadn't suspected anything at first.
But Alabasta...
That was simply impossible!
Alabasta might be the largest and most populous of the Affiliated Nations, but the kingdom was poor. Where could they possibly find the Belly to purchase ironclads, let alone twenty-eight of them?
Something was clearly wrong.
"What are your thoughts on this?"
"I suspect Sean is involved. Have you forgotten the other intelligence report from a few months ago?"
"You mean... the report about the personnel from the 16th Branch helping them train their soldiers in Alabasta?"
"Exactly!"
"But after the investigation, wasn't it concluded that the 16th Branch only sent a training cadre at the invitation of Cobra?"
"That may be true, but don't you find it strange? Within mere days of the twenty-eight warships arriving in Alabasta, they were fully operational. You must remember that Alabasta's royal army is purely land-based!"
"Now that you mention it, that is indeed suspicious. The Marine and the Army are entirely different branches of military service. Even with the ships, it would be impossible for a land army to master them in such a short time. So, you're suggesting that Sean trained them as Marines while he was in Alabasta?"
Silence fell over the five men.
Sean Campbell.
The Nefertari family of Alabasta.
Both were extremely sensitive entities.
Based on their previous conjectures, it was highly probable that Sean shared an inexplicable relationship with Lord Imu—perhaps even a blood connection.
As for the Nefertari family, they were one of the twenty founding families of the Celestial Dragons. When their ancestors left the Holy Land, Lord Imu had explicitly commanded that the Nefertari family be left untouched.
Consequently, neither Sean nor the Nefertari clan were people the Five Elders could move against haphazardly.
This made the situation troublesome.
"Should we ask Lord Imu?"
"No. Lord Imu is nearly back in his slumber; it would be inappropriate to disturb him now."
"Then what do we do? If Alabasta spirals out of control..."
The Elder with the long beard spoke with a hint of anxiety.
As previously established, the World Government employed a comprehensive strategy to maintain its rule over the Affiliated Nations.
Step one: Allow pirates to run rampant, leaving countries in misery and forcing them to seek protection from the World Government.
Step two: Charge these nations a protection fee—the Heavenly Tribute—to ensure that after payment, these countries have no surplus funds to build their own naval fleets.
Step three: Establish the Marine to protect these Affiliated Nations, which effectively pushes pirates toward non-affiliated nations to pillage and slaughter, thereby incentivizing more countries to join the World Government.
Step four: Maintain a balance of power between the Marine and pirate forces. This prevents Affiliated Nations from thinking of leaving the World Government once the pirate crisis is resolved. In short: cultivate the enemy to maintain their own necessity.
For hundreds of years, the World Government had used this method to maintain absolute control over the world. Even after the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, they had not abandoned this approach.
An imbalance of power? The pirate forces overwhelmingly outmatching the Marine?
It didn't matter; they simply created the Warlord system to restore stability to the factions.
Was the World Government incapable of eradicating pirates? Perhaps the New World of the Great Pirate Era was a bit troublesome for them, but if it were simply a matter of purging the four seas and the first half of the Grand Line... that would be a trivial task.
They simply chose not to do it for the sake of the so-called "factional balance" and to continue controlling the world.
This illustrated just how vital this balance was to the Five Elders. They were willing to cast aside all pride to restore it, as it was the very foundation of their global dominion.
And now, Alabasta had torn a hole in that foundation from a different angle.
The vulnerability lay within the Affiliated Nations themselves.
If an Affiliated Nation possessed a powerful Marine of its own, capable of resisting pirates, why would they need the Marines?
And if they no longer needed the Marines, why would they continue to pay the astronomical sums of the Heavenly Tribute every year? They could simply secede from the World Government.
If this precedent were followed by others, the result would be far worse than a shift in the balance of power on the seas. It would shake the very roots of the World Government.
This was why the Five Elders were so anxious.
"According to the quotes Galley-La Company gave Sengoku, medium-sized ships—which they define as destroyers—cost 500 million Belly, while smaller corvettes are 200 million Belly," the curly-haired Elder mused before speaking. "Therefore, Alabasta's twenty-eight warships total roughly 9 billion Belly."
"While we cannot move against Alabasta without Lord Imu's orders, we must find out where this money came from!"
"If it turns out that Cobra manipulated Alabasta's financial records to underpay the Heavenly Tribute, he must reimburse the difference immediately. If he cannot pay, those ironclad warships will serve as payment."
The other four Elders' eyes lit up.
Exactly. While they couldn't target the Nefertari family directly, the rules regarding the Heavenly Tribute were sacrosanct.
The fact that Cobra could produce 9 billion Belly to purchase twenty-eight ironclads proved that he had tampered with Alabasta's finances.
The Heavenly Tribute for each Affiliated Nation wasn't decided arbitrarily; it was calculated meticulously to ensure that after payment, the remaining budget could only maintain the kingdom's basic operations, leaving no room for the massive expense of building a Marine.
Thus, the Five Elders concluded that Cobra must have cooked the books to intercept funds that belonged to the World Government.
They were merely investigating the matter to recover the debts. They could even use it as a legitimate excuse to seize Alabasta's fleet. They weren't attacking the Nefertari family; they were simply enforcing the law.
This did not violate Lord Imu's orders, yet it provided a legitimate reason to crush Alabasta's naval ambitions.
It was a perfect plan.
The other four quickly agreed.
'''
Ten days later.
An investigation team composed of World Government officials arrived in Alabasta.
Chapter 182: On How to Launder Gold from Sky Island
The purpose of their mission was to investigate whether Cobra had manipulated the national finances to reduce the amount of Heavenly Tribute Alabasta had to pay. Simultaneously, they were tasked with uncovering the source of the Belly Cobra had used to purchase those warships.
However, after an exhaustive investigation lasting half a month, they came up empty-handed. They couldn't find a single shred of evidence that Cobra had tampered with the kingdom's financial records.
As for the source of the funds used to buy the warships, Cobra had provided a perfectly reasonable explanation: the Nefertari family had sold off a vast amount of their ancestral treasures to raise the money.
After all, the Nefertari family was over eight hundred years old and had been one of the original twenty founding clans. Furthermore, every generation of the Nefertari family had been known for their frugality—unlike the Celestial Dragons, who spent their wealth with reckless abandon. Given this, it seemed entirely plausible that selling a few precious artifacts could yield several billion Belly.
Ultimately, the investigation team found no grounds for accusation. Coupled with the Five Elders' instructions to conduct a standard investigation based strictly on evidence and to avoid baseless slanders against the Nefertari family, the team had no choice but to retreat, defeated and disgruntled.
When this news reached Sean, it served as a wake-up call.
The first batch of ships, costing 9 billion Belly, was manageable. But the second and third batches—and his ultimate plan to equip the Alabasta Marine with hundreds of warships—would be much harder to explain away.
He needed to tie up the loose ends regarding the funding for Alabasta's naval expansion; the source of the money had to be foolproof and able to withstand any level of scrutiny.
But how?
Suddenly, a spark ignited in Sean's eyes as an idea struck him.
That was it! He could combine the ancestral wealth of the Nefertari family with the gold he needed to liquidate.
He could simply give the gold products to Cobra, who could then sell them off under the pretext of liquidating Nefertari family assets. This would provide a legitimate, public channel for laundering the gold from Sky Island, removing the need to cautiously navigate the treacherous networks of the underworld.
At the same time, the funding for Cobra's warships would become documented and verifiable, saving them countless future headaches.
With the plan solidified, Sean immediately called Cobra.
Cobra was thrilled upon hearing the idea. He had been worrying about this himself; while he might dodge suspicion once, he couldn't do it a second or third time. His excuses would eventually wear thin. With Sean's solution, those fears vanished.
Though he was somewhat surprised that Sean possessed such a staggering amount of gold, Cobra didn't pry. The two reached an immediate agreement.
They also discussed the delivery of the second batch of warships, scheduled for six months later. This shipment would include over fifty ironclads, including two cruisers.
During these six months, Cobra's primary task was to begin "selling off family assets"—liquidating a total of 30 billion Belly worth of gold.
Sean even gave Cobra a strategic tip: since this would be an ongoing process, they should simply establish a massive auction house in Rainbase. Not only would this facilitate the sales, but it would also stimulate Alabasta's economy.
As long as the items being auctioned were attractive enough, wealthy nobles would inevitably flock to the city. And once they arrived, they would spend money. This would lead to the growth of gourmet dining, luxury accommodations, and even a booming general tourism industry.
Why focus on general tourism? Normally, nobles visiting for an auction wouldn't stay long, making tourism seem pointless. But Sean had a trick to make it possible.
If they were going to do this, they would build the largest auction house in the world. Furthermore, the proceedings of the auctions would be live-streamed across Rainbase, appearing in every restaurant and hotel.
While the commoners couldn't afford to bid or enter the auction hall, they were still curious. They would be fascinated by the treasures on display, the high-profile figures in attendance, and most of all, the sight of powerful magnates frantically bidding astronomical sums of money as if it were nothing.
To top it off, Sean suggested bringing Morgans into the fold. He would arrange for reporters to be present at every auction to publish detailed reports in the news.
For the bidders, this changed everything. It meant they could not afford to back down. With a live audience and the world's press watching, any sign of hesitation or "cheapness" would be a devastating blow to their pride. And if there was one thing nobles valued more than anything, it was their face.
Would these rules discourage them from coming? Sean believed that as long as the items were high-quality, the nobles would be irresistible. For instance, if the first auction featured several one-of-a-kind pure gold ornaments, no wealthy noble would dare miss it.
As they discussed the plan, Cobra became increasingly excited. Alabasta was mostly desert, and its economy had struggled to grow. If this super auction house succeeded, it could revitalize the entire kingdom's economy, lifting Alabasta from poverty to a state of moderate prosperity, and eventually to true wealth.
Under Sean's guidance, Cobra contacted the Tokaf Company and ordered them to begin the design and construction immediately.
Although this project wasn't on the scale of the 16th Branch's Ring-shaped Fortress, Mansour was equally exhilarated.
This was the Grand Line! If they executed this project successfully, the Tokaf Company would likely secure a massive share of Alabasta's subsequent infrastructure projects. Most importantly, this was the perfect opportunity for the Lawan Company to break out of the East Blue and expand its business into the Grand Line.
As expected, partnering with Sean was the single best decision of his life.